First Time Tour to Italy? (first tour ever)

Jim,

I've found that an ideal solution is to combine a RS tours with some independent travel, either before or after the tour (or both). That way you can take advantage of the benefits of a tour as well as visit sights that are of specific interest to you. I've used that method on eight RS tours so far, and hopefully there will be more in future (if the exchange rate ever improves).

One method you might use is to arrive in Venice a few days before the tour begins. Use the time to get over jet lag and also visit sites that aren't included on the tour. At the end of the tour, take one of the direct trains to La Spezia and then carry on in the Cinque Terre. While in that area, you could also have a look at Stresa (if you haven't been there before). Book your return flight out of Milan. There are lots of possibilities and this is only one suggestion.

Jim, I haven't taken a tour myself so can't answer your primary question, but I do want to let you know that I've read on this forum that tickets to see the Last Supper must be obtained extremely far in advance. If that's really important to you, you should investigate the ticket situation right away. You may find the only option, even now, is to book some sort of tour that includes an opportunity to see the painting. Sometimes there is a range of tour options out there, with varying prices, and acting sooner might turn up less costly possibilities, though I assume any tour will cost more than the ordinary site ticket.

Also, quite a lot of the low-level trails in the Cinque Terre are currently closed after storm damage and are not expected to reopen soon. There are higher (harder) trails still open in the Cinque Terre, plus other walks in nearby coastal areas.

I did my first RS tour (Eastern Europe) during the summer of 2014. All of my eight previous European trips had been independent travel. Here are the pros and cons for me.
Pros-
-The great distance we were able to travel and the amount of places we were able to see
-Having done all of the planning on my previous trips, it was very nice to have all logistics taken care of
-The included tickets into sights. It felt so luxurious to have the guide get our tickets, hand them to us and we could forgo the lines.
-The guided tours in each place were amazing, very informative.
-My travel buddies. I went on this trip solo and made some fantastic friends.
-The included meals and experiences. I would not have been so adventurous with trying new cuisines and experiences.

Cons-
-I had a difficult time eating on someone else's schedule on the days that we had group meals. Due to a medical issue, I eat on a schedule so that was hard for me.

I really enjoy both types of travel, so mixing some independent travel with the tour is a good idea. When visiting museums and churches the local guide will spend time at the highlights, with fairly detailed discussion. For the most part there is time to return and see other works, revisit what you already saw. But, re-reading your post it sounds like you have subjugated your own wishes to those of others on previous independent travel, so why tour with a group when most days are pretty planned out? Yes, you can opt out of activities, but the what's the point of paying for a tour?

On any museum visit that you make with the group, you do risk feeling like you're in a herd. The major museums will be crowded no matter what (a herd within a herd). If you think you'll go off at your own pace, then discuss that with the guide beforehand. For instance, if there are headsets to be returned, you have to make a plan or perhaps not take one. You'll often have free time in a museum after a guided tour, if the group doesn't have another destination to move on to quickly. The itineraries online will give you an idea of how many group activities are fitting into a day or a morning before you have free time.

You might prefer our My Way Italy tour, which includes Lake Como and the Cinque Terre and provides support but leaves all of your sightseeing time free. It's not unusual on that tour for some travelers to be making a repeat visit to a city.

We started our European adventures as independent travelers and we still add days on our own, but we enjoy doing RS tours. We always arrive early somewhere close to the tour and use that time to recover from jet lag and get our bearings. Especially if there is a language difference ( including Scotland and Ireland as well as the continent), we do it so our brains can make adjustments. Our first RS included Florence, Rome and Cinque Terra. That was 6 years ago and in those days the Vatican museum was included. There might have been extra time to go back through the museum, but the crush was so bad we just wanted out. I know we couldn't have gone back to the Sistine Chapel. In Florence, we were the first group in the Uffizi and when the tour ended, we had the option to spend more time if wanted.

After 3 tours, I would say that in most museums there is extra time built in after the tour guide is finished to go back and view more. Many times some people will opt for a coffee break, but there is usually extra time. Another plus of the RS tours is that usually you are staying close to the center of the city, so you can access things independently. We've done one other small group tour and a river cruise and the down side for us was the difficulty in going back to see things or going off to follow our own interests. As a tour "vet", I also feel much more confident if I want to skip/replace something. As long as you let the guide and your tour buddy know, and show up at the departure point on time, it can be very flexible.

What we have enjoyed about the tours is the camaraderie that develops over the course of the tour. In our experience, most people are flexible and independent travelers but also social as well. It's not uncommon to set up an activity independently, but discover other tour members doing the same thing. Finally, because we are not worried over reservations, transportation or orientation, we are able to fully enjoy what we are seeing and the information provided by the guides.

Jim, to me this was the salient sentence from your long explanation:
"I promised myself I'd go back and do them alone"

It sounds like you had/have every intention to finally see some places the way you initially wanted to see them. The sole reason you seem to be considering a tour is your friend recommended it. That feels more of a polite response, as opposed to an idea that you can really get excited about. I say follow your initial instincts. Most of my trips, although not all, have been solo and I really relish them. I think I was "made for" solo travel (but, of course, in life you have to compromise when loved ones are in the picture). It sounds like you have all the skills to plan your own trip successfully, as well as a good handle of how you can get the most enjoyment out of your visit to various attractions, such as museums. Many people lack this self-awareness and that's why they sometimes turn the planning over to someone else like a tour company. While full of other upsides, I think a structured tour would leave you frustrated for the same reasons as before - a lack of autonomy in your travels.

I have been a solo traveler for more years than I can remember. I spend a great deal of time in Europe. (Nearly five months this year, and planning six for 2017).

That said, this past October, I took an RS tour. I took it because I wanted to see what it was like and it went to areas not easily accessible by public transportation. (Lots of great scenery and I didn't want to drive.)

That being said, I had a good time. It was enough of a balance where I could get the benefits of the tour but back out of things that didn't interest me. Was it all to my liking? No, of course not. There were a couple of stops that I never would have done on my own. But that's the balance of a tour--you get the efficiency of a tour but also also have to accept the structure.

I will be taking RS tours in the future. Especially to places not easily accessible or convenient using public transit. Since I've had my fill of big cities, mostly, I feel a tour will be more efficient visiting those out of the way places.

If you've already been to Rome and Florence, and you don't seem that eager to return, why take that tour? What about something like Village Italy. You could go to Venice on your own for a few day. Take the train to Padua (30 minutes) to meet up with the tour, it goes to the Cinque Terre, and ends near Milan.

One last thing, unless I read it wrong, you have never traveled on your own--usually with your wife and her mother. Traveling on your own, and I don't mean an afternoon by yourself, is different. If you don't go out and talk to people, it can get lonely. If you are used to having people around you, this might be a new concept. A tour gives you included travel mates. While you won't become buddy-buddy with every single one, you will find people with similar interests and personalities. On my tour, by coincidence, there were four of us from the same school.

Frank's point about the potential for loneliness is a good one, though it may not be so much of an issue on a relatively short trip unless you're an extrovert.

I'm a self-contained introvert now able to take really long trips post-retirement. About 8 of my 12 European jaunts have been solo; the others were with my mother. Now that I'm traveling for 3 months at a time or longer, I am aware of being alone, especially after being on the road for 4 to 6 weeks. I'm learning that it's a very good idea to book things like walking tours that bring me in contact with other travelers. I also seize opportunities for conversations with locals in hotels, shops and occasionally even tourist offices when they are not otherwise occupied and seem to be interested in chatting.

I can certainly see the value of traveling with a mostly like-minded group of people. I very much enjoyed the day I shared a Romanian train compartment with part of a Canada-based tour group.

To be or not to be . . . solo. My choice is to travel with a tour only to those places that I feel I cannot do on my own - Turkey was one (though I was independent in Istanbul), Ireland, and the RS Alpine Tour (which would have been much more difficult on trains and buses with luggage). I like to go at my own speed, lingering a lot in museums but often getting antsy when a guide goes on and on at an introduction to a sight. On the other hand, a great bonus of being with a tour is having the option of dining with new friends and sharing the wonders with them throughout the trip.

Venice/Florence/Rome are very easy to do on your own (even if you include the CT and Milan), taking the train from city to city. I've been to Milan a couple of times and tried to book a visit to the Last Supper without success, so I've only spent time in Milan once and for a day and a half, there was plenty to enjoy without Leonardo. The hardest part of planning a trip to those places is choosing which towns to visit and how long to stay. There are so many options, all good!

If you enjoy doing the research and planning the details, then a tour does not seem to be a good fit. Adding days before or after a tour would give a bit of both options but you may feel it destroys your one chance for a really independent trip.

Trust your gut and do what you want.

I have been to a Europe on 6 occasions. Last year I took a RS Best of Italy tour. It was my best vacation I have taken to Europe. On my previous trips I have traveled by car and by train. Italy can be a little more challenging traveling on your own as there are a number of sites that require tickets in advance. I enjoyed the knowledge that our guides provided. It was also a lot of fun to share dinner with your tour mates. I think you will see more on the tour than you will on your own with the same amount of time. If money is not your primary focus, I think you will enjoy the tour more than you think.

A My Way Tour sounds perfect for you, Jim! You don't have to worry about transportation or hotels, you have a guide for reference, but you plan out your day, your way. I've tackled parts of Europe on my own and as part of a tour group (RS and non-RS). My personal experience was that I did well independently in places where English was commonly known. However, when I attempted Paris solo, it was a nightmare and I came away hating everything about it. People were rude, I didn't know the language beyond please and thank you, I was nearly mugged, I got lost, and on and on. It was terrible and I left the city never wanting to see it again. Two years later, when I took the 21 BOE tour and went back to Paris (reluctantly) I got to see the city that I'd hoped to find the first time. Seeing the city with a group gave me a sense of safety. I had a guide who knew the language and could navigate difficult things for me and eventually helped me navigate independently (I was so traumatised from that first experience that I had a panic attack on the metro. My guide was amazing about it and told me his job was to make sure I loved Paris before the tour ended. My first experience started out poorly because of the language barrier and ignorance of the city and then became a series of falling dominoes which left me frustrated and feeling vulnerable. A lot of what happened that time was just bad luck, but with it being my first time there and not knowing the language, everything was worse than it needed to be. When I took the 21 BOE, I went as a solo and loved it. I met a lot of great people that I'm still in regular contact with. During that tour, we had a few people who "went rogue" and often did their own thing vs. what was on the itinerary. Our guide was great with that, his only request was that he was given proper notice so he didn't buy tickets that would go to waste, or worry about somebody not being where they should be. In your case, since you've visited these places before and have a sense of what you want to do, a My Way tour would probably be a great fit! You could meet like minded people and probably have buddies to potentially hang out with and tour with when you wanted company, and then you could do your own thing as well! I'll be doing the My Way 14 Day Europe Tour next September. I wanted to revisit my favorite places from the 21 BOE (including Paris!), but I didn't want to exactly copy that itinerary either. I want to see the places I loved that first time, but I also want to see different things within those places and get to know them better. I hope this makes sense, I'm sleep deprived today! Whatever you decide upon, I hope you have a great trip!
Lisa

I've taken several Rick Steves tours although never on my own. One advantage of the tours that hasn't been mentioned is the teaching that the tour guides provide. It's not just pointing out the sights. The guides that I have had have been great teachers who are passionate and informed about their subject.s. You can always read about where you are visiting but, for me, it's not the same. There will be less bus travel time on the tour you are considering so you can always opt out if there is something you would rather see on any given day.

Don't underestimate the loneliness issue. I once did a five day visit to London on my own. I had a great time but found I really missed having someone to talk about what I was seeing as I was seeing it.

Combining a RS tour with independent travel before and / or after is a good way to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. If you do the V/F/R tour, definitely go to Venice several days early. It is a great city to explore on one's own. Don't rule out the RS "My Way" tours as they offer the best of both worlds.

We also like combining a RS tour with time on our own. On one trip, we did the RS Best of Sicily tour, arriving about 3 days early to explore Palermo on our own, then after the tour we spent about 10 days in Sorrento and Rome. Perfect!

It is liberating to let someone else do the planning and scheduling, but as others have noted, if you want an afternoon on your own, just tell the guide! Unless the group is moving to another city, your guide will be delighted to accommodate you - if you give enough notice. Or if there's a scheduled site you don't want to see, just let your guide know.

We have been on 10 RS tours, and have loved every one. Your guide will focus on teaching you about the city, site, venue... and will also teach you how to get around on your own, so you can make the best use of your free time.

Go for it!

If your primary purpose is to do things that you missed in prior visits, it seems the question is, "Does this tour's itinerary meet my needs?" If not, then this tour is not for you.

Since you are a seasoned travel planner, why not create the 'tour of my own dreams' for this solo trip? It would be sad if you took another trip and did not do what you Really Want To Do and at your own pace.

I've done 2 RS tours in 2 years (Sicily and My Way Italy). Great time. Great fellow travelers. Went to some places I would not have on my own. However, I've learned my preference is to spend more than 2 or even 3 nights in one location. Like others, I expect to do other RS tours...to places it would otherwise be difficult to do on my own.

For the My Way tour I came in early and spent a day in Padua and 4 added days in Venice then 2 added days in Rome agter the tour. Two days in Florence: not nearly enough. Six days in Venice: enough.

My vote: plan the trip YOU want to do.

The My Way tours sound like a good option.

I prefer to travel solo, and have done do in many countries where I do not speak the language. City day tours are always an option if you want something more in-depth.

My wife and I just completed the RS Rome City Christmas tour (Dec 26th - Jan 1st). It was fantastic on all accounts. Prior to joining the tour we self-toured Venice and Florence. Neither of us liked Venice (probably due to the chilly weather and touristy nature of it) but loved Florence. We used the RS guide books and audio guide as our "Tour guide". Post Rome we visited Naples, Italy and Pompeii for two days using the RS guide book, YouTube videos and the like. For us, we felt this was the best use to maximize our time and experiences. Interestingly, the things/recognition tools about Roman architecture, culture and history that we learned in Rome as part of the RS Tour we applied to our visit to Naples and Pompeii.